Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's red cabbage recipes

The over-vinegary pickled stuff in jars has given this wonderful vegetable a bad name. Well, it's time to set things straight…

Red cabbage doesn't have to be stewed to within an inch of its life - it's great in quick stir-fries, or raw in coleslaws and salads such as this one with orange and date. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the Guardian

Red cabbage is like beetroot, and not just because it's purple. It's the victim of a swath of cultural prejudice – and I suspect there is quite a big overlap with the anti-beetroot brigade. It seems some shoppers and cooks are just plain purplist…

Just as with beetroot, the blame lies largely with a misguided condiment in which someone's been gung ho with the malt vinegar. For decades, the red cabbage we consumed was mainly brutally pickled. And, of course, slowly braised in wine and spice, often with apple or raisins, or both (and often with far too much sugar and cinnamon). Red cabbage cooked in this way remains a notorious winter staple, loved and loathed in equal measure. And it has somehow never quite graduated to the high table of the Christmas feast proper. Imagine being even less popular than sprouts.

We need to rethink this hearty, tightly packed cannonball of the brassica family. I think it should be given a far greater airing throughout the autumn and winter, when its dramatic colour is particularly welcome alongside the season's earthy roots. And, in my view, it should mostly be eaten raw, or at most very quickly cooked – try stir-frying rather than steaming, so that it retains its bite and its tang.

Red cabbage's fresh, raw crunch is a great addition to salads (see today's recipe), though I quite understand that some of you may have been put off by its appearance in mediocre coleslaws dressed in gloopy, cheap mayonnaise, its pigment seeping into the dressing to create a rather unappealing mess. Much better to slice the leaves very finely and dress them in a garlicky, mustardy vinaigrette, perhaps with a good handful of parsley to provide a dramatic and delicious contrast. Add grated carrot, and some shredded white cabbage, too, for a much fresher version of the coleslaw. And sprinkle with a few pumpkin and/or sunflower seeds, if you like. But steer clear of the mayo.

On the stir-fry theme, try it shredded and quickly fried in olive oil (or goose fat) with some garlic and peeled, crumbled cooked chestnuts. Summer and early autumn varieties can be thrown into any stir-fry – a nice simple one could include batons of carrot (almost matchsticks), spring onions and little florets of cauliflower or broccoli.

Don't abandon the braise option altogether, though. Just get it right. For me, that means holding back a bit on the sweet ingredients and including something salty to contrast the sweet and sour. Hence the bacon in today's version, which also helps make a meal of it. And set aside some time: it takes at least an hour. That said, once you've got it simmering in the pan, this dish will require very little intervention from you, bar the odd stir and a slosh of water, stock or wine if it looks a bit dry. Cooked in this way, it's a supper in itself with a baked spud or some creamy mash. Or use lardons of streaky bacon instead of a whole piece, and the dish becomes an excellent piquant contrast to all kinds of game, venison, goose, duck, rabbit and even roast pork or sausages. For strong game, tweak the recipe by adding a few juniper berries at the start of cooking; for pork, goose and duck, half a teaspoon of caraway seeds works wonders.

One thing you should bear in mind when cooking red cabbage is that it reacts dramatically to even slightly hard water, the alkaline turning your beautiful and carefully shredded veg to a murky, unappetising navy blue. This is why recipes invariably include an acidic ingredient, in the form of citrus, vinegar or wine, to preserve its rich, purple shade.

If you fancy growing your own next year, they're relatively undemanding. At River Cottage we have had success with Marner Early Red, a good summer variety that, if sown from January to March, is ready for harvesting between July and August – perfect for summer salads; sow Marner Storing Red between February and April, for harvesting in October to November; and Red Drumhead between March and July, for harvesting between August and November. All you really need to do then is ensure that the plants don't dry out, and keep an eye out for slugs and caterpillars, though they seem to be less attracted to red varieties than green ones. Perhaps they had some pickled red cabbage when they were little.

Red cabbage, orange and date salad

A pretty and refreshing winter salad with a wonderful combination of flavours and textures. Serves two.

Cut the top and bottom off the orange and stand it on one of the cut ends on a chopping board. Work your way around it, cutting off the skin, pith and membrane, then cut out the segments. Squeeze the juice from the segmented orange into a small bowl.

Arrange the cabbage on a large plate, or two smaller plates, along with the orange segments, parsnip and dates. Trickle over the reserved juice and olive oil, then sprinkle on the thyme leaves. Serve at once.

Red cabbage braised with bacon

Bacon is often used to flavour braised cabbage, but keeping the slab whole makes it a proper accompaniment, rather than simply a seasoning. Serves three to four.

In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or casserole, warm the olive oil over a medium heat and brown the bacon on all sides. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside. Lower the heat slightly, add the cabbage, garlic, onions and thyme, and sauté gently, stirring, until the cabbage softens slightly, about five minutes. Add the wine, sugar and a wine glass of water, return the bacon to the pan, nestling it down into the vegetables, put on the lid and simmer very gently for an hour to an hour and a half, adding a little more water if it begins to look at all dry. To finish, stir in the butter, mustard and parsley. Cut the bacon into thick slices and serve with the red cabbage.

Red cabbage and apple soup

A substantial soup that's a meal on its own served with good bread. Serves four to six.

Melt 40g of butter or goose fat in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and sweat until soft and translucent, stirring from time to time, about 15 minutes. Add the caraway seeds and stir for a minute.

Peel and core the apples, and slice them thickly. Raise the temperature slightly, add the apples and cabbage to the onions and fry for a further five minutes, until the cabbage begins to soften. Raise the heat; pour in the stock, wine, vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and simmer until the cabbage is very tender – about 20 minutes longer. Stir in most of the dill and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Warm the rest of the butter or goose fat in a frying pan and sauté the walnuts until just golden and fragrant.

Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top each serving with a few walnut halves, a spoonful of sour cream or yoghurt and a scattering of dill fronds.

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